Jewel of Atlantis

protest, suddenly too fatigued and too sore to play anymore, wanting only to take his toys and go home.

'This jungle is a real who's who of Atlantean crap, you know that?' As he'd feared, his adrenaline rush was quickly dissipating, the explosions and heat taking their toll. He needed to find a safe place to crash.

For some dumb-ass reason, though, he didn't want the woman to know how winded he was. He wanted her to think of him as strong and invincible. So he kept his breathing slow and even, kept his shoulders straight and his expression firm.

'Can you get me out of this jungle?' His fingers flexed around the machete's hilt. North Head north.

His feet heavy, he plodded through the ash, rocks and twigs until he came to a grove of white trees. They swayed like ghosts. He didn't recall seeing them before. He plucked one of the white leaves, the woman's sexy voice leading him past them. Soon he found a pair of footprints and realized someone else had once taken this same path.

Those are your footprints. 'No way,' he said in disbelief. Take a look.

He bent down and studied the dirt etchings. Sure enough. They matched his size and shoe type. He scowled. He'd been here before, but he'd obviously gone the wrong way. 'How close is this to the exit?'

You'll see, she laughed.

He emerged five minutes later.

Gray cursed under his breath. He stood at the edge of a cobbled path, winding away from the forest. So

simple. So easy. The darkness was growing thicker, but without the density of trees hovering around the road, ribbons of the crystal dome's soft golden glow slipped free.

Frowning, he released his grip on the machete and fisted his hands at his side. It had only taken him three miserable days, three explosions and a goddamn Invisible Woman to get out.

'I could have found it on my own,' he mumbled for pride's sake.

The woman laughed again, a sound so lush and sexual his body instantly responded. Most likely she could have cursed him to everlasting hell and he would have lusted after her. Would have hardened for her, ached to touch her. She sounded that sexy.

He didn't like how quickly and easily she affected him. Wasn't used to it, in fact. As much as he loved and treasured women, as much as he enjoyed savoring and pampering them, they always came to him, had to work to gain his interest. He'd never responded so potently to a specific one; there were just too many to choose from.

The only way you would have made it out of that jungle without me, was if your dead body had been dragged out between that demon's teeth.

'Smart-ass,' he said, but he found himself grinning.

The creatures never would have found you if you hadn't doused yourself in insect repellant. 'You're kidding me? That repellent is supposed to be scentless.'

For insects, perhaps.

He lost all remnants of his grin. If the label had said one word, one freaking word about attracting demons and vampires, he never would have used it. Disgusted, Gray stopped and sipped from his canteen, the coolness of the water soothing his ashy throat.

'Where do I go from here? I need a hot meal—' the energy bar in his bag wouldn't cut it this time '—a bath and a soft bed.' A willing woman wouldn't be amiss, either. Preferably the one eavesdropping on his thoughts.

She cleared her throat. Yes, well, just follow this path.

He chuckled and jolted into motion. Perhaps it was folly on his part to trust her so completely, but trust her he did. She'd saved his life. Twice now.

Maybe that was part of a diabolical plan, but he just didn't care. At the moment, she could have lead him straight into a human stew pot and he would have willingly gone.

His boot struck a cluster of pebbles, skidding them forward and tripping him. He righted and rubbed the wound on his thigh. Every action increased the pain there.

You need to clean that, as well as the one on your neck.

'As soon as I find shelter, I'll use the first aid kit in my bag.' Not that the antibacterial ointment would do any good. He'd been using it for two days to no avail.

You received these wounds yesterday, yes? From the vampire?

'Yes.'

And they've only grown worse? That is not good. Not good at all.

He caught the underlying foreboding in her tone. 'Do I need to worry about morphing into a bloodthirsty phantom of the night?'

His dry tone raised her hackles. You should not joke about something so serious. Did the demon bite or scratch you today?

'Are you kidding? The bastard barely got near me.'

She sighed. Neither of us has reason to worm, then, For now. Besides your monstrous ego, you should be fine.

He was tired, though. God, was he tired. He hadn't lied. He needed food and a bed as soon as possible or his legs were going to give out on him. The bath and the woman were optional at this point.

A cool wind wafted past him, gentle and welcome, offering a bit of comfort to his stiff muscles. Darkness was reaching the point of total black, like a tomb, where he wouldn't be able to see a damn thing.

Down the road, he noticed a slash of white against the shadows. After a moment, he realized that slash was actually a person, slowly padding in the same direction he himself traveled, just twenty paces ahead of him. Gray tensed and reached for his gun, never slowing his gait. He had two bullets left in the clip.

He'd only need one.

You may rest easy, Gray. The nymph will not bother you.

'Nymph?' He paused briefly, the word dancing through his mind. 'An actual nymph? As in a female with such a high sexual drive, she leaves her partner in a coma of pleasure?'

Will you get serious?

'I am serious. Do you know her? Can you introduce us?'

She growled low in her throat. For your information, the surface legends are wrong. Most nymphs are males.

Male? 'No way.'

Look closely and see for yourself.

He did, his gaze probing deeply into the creature's back, taking in the small details. Broad shoulders. A masculine gait. Large, booted feet peeked out from the robe's hem.

A shudder raked Gray, and all thoughts of pleasurable comas vanished. 'That man needs to die simply for ruining my fantasy.'

He will not be as easy to kill as the demon. Nymphs are the greatest warriors in the land, stronger even than dragons, though they never strike first. As long as you leave him alone, you'll both walk away unscathed.

'I'll remember that.' The closer Gray came to the nymph, the taller he realized the creature was. Taller than him, actually. An amazing feat considering Gray stood at six-five and usually towered over everyone he encountered. Keeping his weapon ready just in case, Gray maintained a wide berth as he passed.

The imposing white-robed male grimaced, glanced over at him, and waved a hand in front of his surprisingly feminine and starkly beautiful face. He barked something in a deep, guttural language.

'What did he say?' Gray asked as soon as he was a safe distance away. That you reek of ash and death.

'Well, aren't I the special little boy today.' Nearly eaten alive, then aromatically insulted. He sniffed himself, and his lips pursed. Okay, so he did smell a little.

He delved deeper into the shadows, listening for telltale signs of footsteps or the cock of a weapon. As his mind-companion predicted, the nymph left him alone.

Only when he'd gone a mile further, however, did he relax his guard. He breathed deeply and let his gaze wander. The beauty here amazed him. Dew sparked like diamonds atop the brilliant green foliage. The whisper of